Summary – Media & Communication Theory
Book chapter 1 – Media and the Social World
Equipment that provides access to electronic media is everywhere. Developments such as the
increase of mobile devices leads to a decrease in the use of desktop computers, and the growth of
internet-based video streaming services leads to the fact that the number of households with no TV
is growing. One of the biggest changes in recent years is that audiences are also users of media.
Media-singletasking using one form of media without doing anything else
Media-multitasking using multiple forms of media at the same time
Multitasking using one form of media while also doing something non-media related: e.g.
cleaning with the television on, studying and listening to music.
The word ‘media’ is derived from the Latin word medium, which means middle. Media facilitate the
communication between the sender of a message and the receiver of that message.
Mass media Media that reach a relatively large audience of usually anonymous readers.
Social construction of reality the process of actively creating meaning based on the interpretation
of media messages (everybody interprets messages differently and messages can have different
meanings to individuals).
The print medium: first created by Johannes Gutenberg, 1450.
1840: invention of the telegraph; for the first time instant communication over long distances
1876: invention of the telephone
1877: invention of the phonograph by Thomas Edison
1895: invention of the cinematograph (beginning of ‘moving pictures’).
1927: First ‘talking picture’.
1970: video’s / 1997: DVD’s
Radio was the first broadcast medium. Broadcasting made another advance with the introduction of
television. In 1998, the first digital television broadcast began, and by June 2009, all television
stations were converted to digital signals. Digital television programming can be easily stored,
delivered ‘on-demand’ or streamed via the internet.
The rise of computing technology changed the media landscape in a variety of ways:
- Media content could now be created in a digital form. (1’s and 0’s)
- Digitization changed the world of media production.
- The internet provides a platform on which media content can be distributed and consumed.
- Digitization enabled greater interactivity among media users, between media users and media
content.
- Computers became smaller and more mobile smartphones
Net neutrality the access to the internet should be neutral, as in it should be available to
everyone, no matter your income, race, gender, age, etc.
Socialization the process whereby we learn and internalize the values, beliefs, and norms of our
culture and, in so doing, develop a sense of self.
,In considering the mass media, there are three types of social relations:
- Relationships between institutions E.g., interactions between the media industry and the
government.
- Relationships within an institution E.g., the relationship between a screenwriter and the head of
a motion picture studio.
- Relationships between institutions and individuals (who are always part of larger social groups)
E.g., the use of media products by audiences or readers.
One reason why the media are often controversial is that different groups expect the media to play
different, often incompatible, roles.
Structural constraint constraint on human action.
Human agency independent action.
There is an (infinite) tension between structure and agency.
Again,
Agency autonomous decisions, free will, creativity.
Structure Rules of organizations, wishes of a media audience. In what ways am I being restricted /
stopped in what I really want to do? (rules, laws, expectations, social norms are all forms of
structure).
For example, communicating politics on TV is shaped by:
Human agency Free to fill in, such as an interview style
Structural constraints Ratings, ‘conflict frame’ (emphasize on conflict on purpose to make a show
more interesting).
Structure and Agency in the Media
The tension between structure and agency is present on at least three levels, which correspond to
the three types of social relations (see above).
- Relationships between institutions How do non-media social structures, such as the government
and the economy, affect the media industry? And vice versa?
- Relationships within an institution How does the structure of the media industry affect media
personnel (and indirectly media products)? How much do media personnel influence the media
products (and thus the media industry)?
- Relationships between institutions and individuals How do the mass media influence the readers
(audiences) of media messages? How do readers interpret media messages and make use of media?
Media industry the entire organizational structure that makes up the media, including all media
personnel.
Social world All the social elements not included in the four main boxes of the MMSW.
, The Model of Media and the Social World (MMSW) explained
The media industry is affected by changes in technology (e.g. the invention of the television) but also
influences the direction and application of technology on its own (e.g. the use of computers for film
animation).
The media industry produces media messages and products. However, the conventions of particular
genres of media products also influence the creators of the products (no murder mystery genres
without actual crimes).
Readers or audiences may be influenced by media messages, but they actively interpret and
construct meaning from these messages at the same time.
The development and direction of technology is affected by how readers or audience choose to (not)
use it. In turn, technology has an impact on the public. Each medium tends to produce a different
experience for the audience.
A sociological approach to the media allows us to identify the key questions and reminds us to keep
the ‘big picture’ in mind when we discuss media issues.
